


Being Asami

by Kilbourn



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-12
Updated: 2015-01-22
Packaged: 2018-03-07 07:35:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3166721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kilbourn/pseuds/Kilbourn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Korra would have traded anything to not be the Avatar for a day, but this isn't quite what she had in mind. Especially when a spirit with a penchant for riddles is set on teaching her a lesson.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Wake Up Call

**Author's Note:**

> I've also uploaded this on FF under the pen-name Ratchet Maverick, so you can also check it out there.

**Chapter One:**

**Korra**

The Avatar was not a morning person in any capacity, in fact, her ability to rise from bed before 10 rivalled that of her ability to drive a car. But as the bridge between the mortal and spirit world, she had agreed to meet President Raiko to talk about possible solutions to the spirit vine problem, which meant rising before the sky was awake to prepare. However, if the Avatar was a morning person she would have definitely realised something was amiss when she awoke. Her first clue would have been that she did not wake up where she fell asleep; she was still in the same room, but in a different bed. The second clue would come in the form of the colour of the hand which brushed back the hair from her face and the sleep from her eyes. The third should have been that the top she threw on to cover her sleep shorts and tank finished a little too short. Her sleep addled brain simply chalked these idiosyncrasies up to her sporadic sleep walking, the poor lighting and was too unconcerned to even think of reasoning for the third oddity.

The heavy-eyed girl trudged to the kitchen to settle the rumbling in her stomach and vaguely took notice of the dark haired boy already in there. Korra could feel his eyes on her as she rummaged around looking for food, but paid no attention. She needed sustenance if she was to stay awake. It wasn't until she had already consumed a whole moon peach and was onto her second that she even heard him call a name. She is sure it was not her name. Her name started with a 'K', not whatever letter he was uttering at her. That should have been clue number four, no one else was around and Bolin was directing someone else's name at her. But she concluded it was just another trick of her weary mind.

 _Maybe he's hallucinating from lack of sleep too,_  she thought to herself.

He was back to just staring again, with his head cocked and a brow raised, which made Korra feel slightly uncomfortable as he usually didn't stop talking. That and the fact she knew that whenever she had just woken up, she looked like a platypus bear and had the temperament of one to boot. She needed to distract him from whatever it was he was looking at.

"Why are you awake so early? Sleeping privileges are wasted on you." Clue number five: her voice was different.  _Gravelly from sleep. Or I'm sick... Maybe puberty? Wait, I've already gone through puberty. Maybe it's... Food. Need more food, too much thinking,_ she concluded as she halted her train of thought and reached for another peach.

"Pabu was hungry," Korra finally took notice of the pregnant looking fire ferret, who she assumes swallowed a papaya whole "and so was I," Bolin finished through a burp.

Korra wrinkled her face in disgust at the noise, but mostly at the smell that was let forth.  _Oh Spirits, I'm going to vomit. It smells worse than a diaper full of soiled cabbage,_  she screamed internally, trying in earnest to not let any moon peaches make a reappearance. She desperately fanned the air near her face and took a large step away from the odour emitting creature.

Bolin, unperturbed by the girl's – or his – behaviour, simply went back to staring. To Korra it looked like he was trying add up parts of some puzzle and she seemed to be a major piece. After a few minutes of solid staring, the young Avatar decided it was too early for whatever game she was caught in.

"What are you gawking at, Turtleduck?" Korra growled, hoping to deter him and still a bit miffed about his putrid smells.

Bolin scrunched up his face and shook his head at the pet name his ex-girlfriend? Fiancé?  _Master_? used to subject him to. "Why are you wearing that?" he replied.

"Wearing what? I'm too tired for this." Korra hissed, she knew her attire was not out of the ordinary, she always wore this top over her small clothes when she woke up. She thought he'd know this by now, seeing as they'd been living at Air Temple Island together for the past few weeks.

Bolin clicked. He started grinning manically at Korra, irking her even more. "It makes  _so_  much sense now. You look exhausted and you're wearing  _that_. Though I don't understand why you're cranky, I'd have thought you'd be glowing," he finished with a wag of his eyebrows.

Korra could work out what he was trying to say.  _I'm pretty sure he just insulted me,_  she settled on.

Not one to be slighted, she launched a mango at his head, "I am not cranky!" she screeched. Pabu watched his master evade the flying fruit with ease and took the opportunity to scoot on his stomach after it. After all, there's no such thing as too much food.

"Whoa, calm down!" the earth bender protested, "Who lit the fuse on your tampon," he added under his breath. Unfortunately, Bolin has never been the best at talking in hushed whispers and realised his mistake as soon as the dark haired girl whirled on him and started advancing with her fist held high.  _How dare he!_

"I am going to shit so much fury over you that you will drown in it! I swear I'm going to cut your fingers off and replace them with rat tails. Then I'm going to stick you into a pit of cats and watch the-" the words were snatched from her throat as a familiar brunette entered the kitchen, most probably up from all the yelling Korra was doing.

Bolin turned around to see what had stopped the homicidal girl from ending his life. When he took in the sight before him his grin returned full force. He looked between the two girls who stood stock still, gawping at each other.  _Maybe they were drunk last night..._  he internally suggested. It was a reasonable enough explanation considering their reactions to each other. He took their paralysis as an opportunity to escape any punishment the irked girl had previously sought to inflict.

Korra was stunned to say the least. She could not move, could not breath and could not think. Her reflection seemed to be having the same troubles, for it had not moved since she first looked upon it. She did not know how to react. Should she scream? Cry? Pinch herself to stop the dream?  _Ouch, definitely not a dream._

She discretely examined the hand, with which she pinched herself;  _pale skin, long, slender fingers, perfectly manicured nails... Oh shit._

Korra's mind fought valiantly to figure out what was going on. She thought back to when she first awoke and the heavy fog her brain was under then, lifted. She realised all of the signs she missed;  _the bed, the clothes, the hand, Bolin..._  The final thought brought together the link of her newfound identity.  _He called me Asami._ She glanced at her hand again, Asami's hand,  _I'm in Asami's body, what the actual fu-_

A high pitch scream tore through her inner monologue and knocked her back into her senses. Her... body? Seemed to wake up from its stupor and decided it was a perfect time to wake up the temple. Korra knew she had to stop the blaring, lest Tenzin find out that she had done something stupid,  _again. He'd somehow blame me for switching bodies._ She raced over to the brunette and covered her mouth with her hand. It's far too early to be scolded.

"Shhh, you're going to wake everyone up-"

"Korra! Why are you screaming?" Tenzin burst through the door with Bumi hot on his tail.

"I'm not!"

"I said Korra, not you Asami," he replied whilst pulling a face at the two girls.

 _Oh yeah, I'm Asami now,_ Korra berated herself. "Erm, a spider rat ran across her foot and you know how much she hates them." Bumi noticeably paled and stared off into nothing, mumbling about how his regiment was once ambushed by mutant spider rats which could fire bend. Tenzin looked at his older brother incredulously and then sighed. After all, it wasn't the first time Bumi had fabricated a farfetched tale.

"That's nice... I think... Anyway, er, Korra and I have something to do, so we'll catch you later." Korra said as she grabbed the arm of the brunette and started to drag the body towards the door.

"Wait, Asami," Korra turned to face Bumi, "why are you wearing Korra's clothes?"

Before she could answer, Bolin scuttled passed the door and answered for her, "Why do you think? You owe me 20 yuan," finishing with a wink. Bumi glanced at the girls and laughed, although a little sad that he had lost the bet. Tenzin, on the other hand, looked more than uncomfortable. He refused to make eye contact with either of them and flushed a deep red. He knew all about Bumi and Bolin's wager.

Korra, not knowing what they were talking about, decided to escape the scene with the other girl and fled to the room she shared with Asami.

Once there, Korra sat the other girl down and just stared at her.  _This is weird. If I'm in Asami's body, does that mean she..._

"Asami?" Korra asked softly, as to not cause the figure to test her vocal prowess again. The brunette looked up and nodded softly with tears in her eyes. "I think we've switched bodies..."  _Well duh, nice to point out the obvious,_  she berated herself,  _shit, she's crying! Say something! But what? Something comforting!_

As she wiped away Asami's tears, she said the first thing that came to her head, "At least you look good."

* * *

**Asami**

When she first woke up, she knew something was off. She noticed all of the clues Korra had failed to miss, but she simply wrote it off as being a dream. She didn't know why she was dreaming about being Korra, but then again, when do dreams ever make much sense. When she heard her own voice yelling about rat tails and cats, she decided now was probably the time to investigate.

What she wasn't expecting to see was herself stalking towards a cowering Bolin and when she made eye contact all conscious thought flew out her body. She did not even notice Bolin exit the kitchen, along with Pabu. She couldn't comprehend what she was seeing before her. It looked too real to be just merely a dream. When she saw the other girl pinch herself and wince she knew that this wasn't a product of her brain whilst she slumbered. The smells, the sound, the scene, it was all real.

So she did what any smart, rational, level headed person would do in a situation like this.

She screamed.

Loudly.

Asami halted when a hand touched her lips, it was too surreal. It was her hand after all, being controlled by someone else.  _Korra,_ she knew it was her; no one else was that gentle with her.

She did not registered Tenzin and Bumi enter, did not react to what they were saying. How could she? She was looking at her physical form being controlled by someone else. There was no time to listen to mundane talk when she was desperately trying to figure how and why this was happening.

She snapped back to reality when her form directly addressed her.  _Yes, definitely Korra,_ and could only respond with a nod. She once again felt a hand brush her face, this time to rid her of tears.  _I don't understand..._

Asami was not used to not having all the answers. It scared her. Whilst others could bend the elements, she was left with her intelligence to get her out of situations. Yes she could fight in hand to hand combat, but against benders, she was in very real danger of getting seriously hurt and she had a disadvantage. She could not throw up an earth shield to protect herself from explosions. She could not sweep out the feet of an enemy with a water blasts. No, she had to rely on her smarts to get her out of the more dangerous situations; avoid conflict at all costs. So when she was faced with something she could not out think, well, she feared for her life.

She heard Korra sigh and she knew Korra would speak at any moment, but she was not expecting what actually came out, "At least you look good."

Asami whipped her head up to stare at Korra, looking dumbfounded. She knew Korra was trying to comfort her, but in the action also managed to compliment herself. If her face was anything to go by, she knew Korra had not meant to say that. She couldn't help but laugh though. What started off as a slow, almost inaudible giggle, soon escalated into a deep, resonating laugh which resulted in more tears streaming down Asami's face.

After a good 5 minutes of solid laughing, Asami finally stopped and looked toward Korra. She needed to get that out of her system. It helped clear her mind, to get over the absurdity of it all. Korra seemed to understand this, so when they made eye contact, Korra took the initiative.

"Well, we should probably talk about this..."

* * *

**AN: I apologise for any mistakes you had to suffer. I wrote this on a 10 hour flight and writing isn't one of my strong suits, nor is editing. Anyway, tell me what you think! Also, this is set after Book Two, so it's pretty much canon up until that point.**


	2. Imitation Game

**Chapter Two:**

**Korra** :

Korra knew they had to discuss whatever _this_ was, but she had no idea what to actually say to the girl currently occupying her corporeal form. Really, what _could_ she say? Should she start by apologising for taking over Asami’s body? Follow up by telling her how she’s waited so long to get inside of her? _I never meant like this, mind you._ And perhaps finish by letting Asami know it could be worse. _She could have swapped with Bolin._ She shook her head to rid herself of her current thought trajectory. Korra knew Asami probably wouldn’t appreciate any of that.

The truth being, the Avatar had no clue what was happening. She didn’t know why this was occurring or even how, thus could not suggest a way forward. As time marched on, Korra racked her brain for an explanation but only drew blanks. _Maybe I should compliment her again..._

Asami, seemingly recovered from her mini breakdown, was the first to offer any input. “It’s obvious you have just as much information as I do on this situation,” Korra raised both brows, silently asking why Asami would think that, “I can tell by your face.”

“You saying I have a stupid face?” Korra questioned.

“What, no-”

“Because you’re basically insulting yourself. I have you face now, remember.”

“That’s not what I was say-”

“You should really love yourself. I happen to think you have quite a nice face.” The Avatar once again interrupted. Asami could feel a blush creep up her skin and hoped Korra’s darker skin would hide it. _I am so suave. Look out Republic City._ “Are you blushing?”

“No, shut up.”

Korra grinned at her denial. _Aw, she’s adorable when she blushes! Or when I blush... I think I’m starting to have a crush on myself... I’m turning into Bolin!_

Asami quickly moved the conversation along, lest Korra tried to embarrass her further, “As I was trying to say, it’s been at least 10 minutes since you suggested we talk about this. I think that maybe we should ask T-”

“No!” Korra interrupted, already knowing how Asami was going to finish that sentence. “We need to keep it quiet. No one can know,” the Avatar all but begged.

“Korra, I don’t think-”

“Asami please, no one can know. Tenzin would no doubt blame me for this – even though I didn’t do anything – and I’d much rather not have to meditate on why I should ‘take my duty seriously’ or how the ‘avatar is supposed to protect the people, not steal their bodies’. Do you know how boring meditation is?” Korra grumbled. _No doubt he will think I’m doing this as a way to skirt my responsibilities as avatar,_ she mentally added.

Seeing doubt still written across her face, Korra sighed, “Please promise me you will keep this between us? I just think it will be better this way.” The Avatar prayed her feeble pleading would be enough to sway the businesswoman. She knew Asami would not understand the real reason.

“I think people will start to suspect, Korra. They’ll wonder why we’re behaving differently,” Asami reasoned.

“That’s why we’ll have to act like each other, duh. All my practice is going to come in handy, finally!”

Asami squinted her eyes at the Avatar, “What practice?” she asked slowly.

“I used to do it when we first met. Here, I’ll show you but I may be a little rusty as it’s been a while,” the Avatar said, much too joyfully for Asami’s taste. Korra raised the pitch of her voice and proceeded to do her best imitation she could muster of the engineer, “Future Industries, close project coordination, years of development, it must be the sleeve valve.” Korra smiled to herself, _I still got it._

Asami was not amused.

“I do not sound like that! When have you ever heard me say any of that!” the affronted woman screeched. Korra shrugged, she knew it was believable. “And why did you change your pitch, you literally have my voice!”

Korra once again shrugged, “I don’t know, habit. I’m used to having my own and as yours is higher, I always had to raise mine.” She noticed the murderous look on the other girl’s face, _abort mission! Abort!,_ her brain screamed at her andshe hastily added, “But you’re my best friend and I love you now, so it’s okay.” To secure the engineer’s agreement, she schooled her face into the best pout she could muster, crossing her fingers and praying it would work. _Please don’t let her beat me._

 

* * *

 

**Asami**

When Asami agreed to discuss what was happening, she should have expected Korra to follow up with nothing, after all the Avatar did have a tendency to act without thinking ahead and it didn’t take a genius to see the girl was struggling to find a start.

The engineer had already come to terms with switching bodies, accepting that no amount of feelings could change the situation. She needed the outburst to process it all; it put into perspective that emotions would do nothing to help and they needed rationality. Korra on the other hand was ruled by emotions, a fact Asami both envied... yet did not. The CEO longed for the exuberant passion and drive Korra possessed, but knew that wearing her heart on her sleeve would be dangerous. She lived in a pond full of sharks, disguised in business suits, all sniffing for blood. Her blood. She had worked hard to dredge her company back up from the abyss and one mistake, one lapse in judgement, could send it spiralling back.After her father was branded a traitor and imprisoned, she vowed to stop trusting so blindly, to have logic take precedent over emotions. It is how she would stay on top. _Show no weakness. Rule by logic._ It had become a mantra.

However, that did not the fascination of watching the expressions which danced across the Avatar’s face. Even though it was her own body portraying them, she could still identify each one; fear, confusion, amusement and... lust? _Surely I am imagining that._ Asami blinked and as quickly as it appeared, it was gone, Korra’s face morphing back into one of uncertainty.

After allowing the bender a few more minutes to contemplate ideas, she settled on suggesting the most rational next step: ask for help. Logic dictates that to progress they would need to find the root of the cause and as neither of them had any knowledge on the situation; the best option would be to find someone who does.

Korra apparently disagreed.

The Avatar started protesting the very notion of asking for help, except the engineer was not convinced by Korra’s reckoning. _Meditation isn’t that bad._ Her face betrayed that she was keeping something hidden, yet Asami did not pry. _Desperation, but for what?_ Something was telling her she would find out soon enough.

When Korra decided to make her impersonations known, the manufacturing tycoon was none too pleased. She wasn’t sure if she should be insulted by the voice or be impressed that the Water Tribe girl even knew of a sleeve valve. She settled on insulted. _I do not sound like that!_ she screamed both inside and out.

Korra, sensing Asami’s impending scolding and a rebuke to her protests, she quickly interrupted “But you’re my best friend and I love you now, so it’s okay.”

Asami’s face softened. Like Korra, Asami never had many girl – or even boy – friends growing up. Having spent the majority of her childhood learning to take over her father’s corporation, she never had time to form interpersonal bonds. Instead she had associates; contacts only kept to one day further her own gain.   _I have her now,_ her mind supplied _._ Asami cherished her companionship with Korra; within her she had found a family and a home. She would do anything for her. _And that damn pout._

With a sigh, the engineer agreed to Korra’s request but under one condition: if they haven’t figured out how to reverse whatever this was by week’s end, Korra had to ask Tenzin for help. _Rule by logic._ It was a compromise; she was yielding to her mantra, yet able to placate her friend.

Korra squealed in joy, happy she had won the girl over and wouldn’t have to get a scolding from the Air Master. Asami, however, was less enthused. One side of her was pleased to be able to elicit such a reaction from her friend, the other half criticised her for not abiding by logic. _Have I made a mistake?_ After all they did not know the true effects of the body swap; for all they knew it could become permanent the longer it was left.

Before she could change her mind, Asami was suddenly pressed closely against Korra and her internal war halted. The Avatar, in all her relief, had grappled the engineer into a tight hug. As the now taller girl whispered into her ear, thanking her for being such a good friend, Asami had never felt more at ease, even with the situation she found herself in. Her mind travelled back to a few minutes prior when Korra left her blushing and her inside started to warm. Never had she had someone so sincere in her life; everyone wanted something from her. Everyone except Korra. _Definitely not a mistake._


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three:**

**Korra** :

To say that her eyes are green is to say that the ocean is blue. Adequate, yet not accurate enough to capture the depth or life which swims beneath. It is like saying that the sun is yellow, forgetting about the passion with which it burns. Her eyes are not just green. They are the ocean, they are the sun. They are what drew her in.

These are not the same eyes.

Staring back at her, all she saw was confusion mixed with curiosity. They still held the colour of a forest but lacked the complexity of a maze. They were her eyes now.

 _Deep,_ she snorted.

"Do you find my face amusing?" Korra whirled round at the sound of someone entering the room, blushing deeply when she realised she had been caught staring at the reflection in the mirror. She quickly shook her head in the negative. "What are you doing then?" Asami said with a smirk.

"Admiring."

"Admiring?"

"I wouldn't want to waste this opportunity of staring at your body. I have free reign," The Avatar finished with a wink, causing Asami cheeks to tint red.

Clearing her throat, Asami walked closer to the other girl, "What are you really doing?"

"I already told you, 'Sami, I was checking you out."  _No word of a lie,_ she internalised.

The engineer scrunched up her face, "One, don't do that, it's creepy. Two, you're supposed to be thinking of ways to reverse this, not gazing into a mirror. Three, you're going to have to start calling me Korra, people might overhear you."

"I'd rather call you baby cakes," the bender grinned.

"What? No."

"Okay, sugar shorts?" Korra suggested instead.

"Stop."

"Hmm, what about fluff bumps?"

"What does that even mean?"

"Whatever you want it to mean," the Avatar concluded with a wag of her brows. Asami crumpled her face and decided the best course of action was just to ignore Korra, lest she spur her on further more.

Korra had been trying to flirt with Asami ever since she recognised she had feelings for the engineer a few months back.  _And I'm doing a fine job of it._ When Asami first started dating Mako, Korra had tried to hate her. She was the one who had stolen her chance at happiness, at love. But she couldn't. The engineer had stuck by her, dealt with her odd behaviour and energetic outbursts. She made Korra feel like more than just the Avatar. When she finally got her chance with Mako, it wasn't what she was expecting. Her jealousy was replaced with bitterness; Mako never took her side. Not like Asami. But she didn't regret it.

Her failed relationship with the fire bender helped her apprehend just what she had been missing – well that and alcohol. Sometimes you can look at a friend and realise they have been so much more all along. She realised that the jealousy she felt when the CEO was with Mako did not stem from wanting the boy himself, but because he had her affection. She was envious of the wrong person.

Korra fought with herself over the revelation. Should she keep her friendship, wondering for the rest of her life what if? Or should she let Asami know of her discovered feelings, all the while possessing the knowledge that it could unravel the very foundation of their friendship? For all the things Korra had faced, she was not brave enough to confront her friend about her feelings.

Instead she had let Bolin talk her into following his plan.

**Flashback**

_They drank in silence, praying that the answers lie at the bottom of the glass. Then the bottom of the bottle. Then the bottom of bottle after that. Time dragged on, conversation limited to words, slurred and senseless, followed by silence. They had won, but had never felt so defeated._

_It had been over a week since Unalaq – or UnaVatuu – had been destroyed and the world saved, yet in that time Korra had lost so much: her uncle, her Avatar connection... Mako. Although she was close to Unalaq, he was still blood, he was still a father. Her cousins had said they did not care, but that did not stop the regret from festering. She had also fused back with Raava, but her past lives were gone; she had no guidance, she was alone._

_Her failed relationship, on the other hand, was confusing for Korra. She was disappointed that Mako was not what she sought, but now she felt free. In the back of her mind the relationship had never felt right, that Mako was not the one she craved. There was someone else. She had known for a while, but was desperate to cling on to her previous assumptions; she didn't want to keep being wrong._

_Bolin watched Korra from the corner of his eye, his grief different to the girl with whom he shared a bottle. He had failed to protect her, his best friend. It was out of his control to save Unalaq and Korra's past lives, but he could have done more about his brother. He should have done more._

* * *

_A week later and they found themselves in the same place; a room lined with darkened bottles and people searching to end the pain. Only this time Bolin was determined to be the remedy._

" _How many Avatars does it take to light a candle?", knowing he would not receive and answer, he waited only a beat before he answered himself, "only Wan."_

_No reaction, except for his own laugh._

_The earth bender wasn't surprised by this, but he was hoping for at least a smile._

" _Okay, how about this one: what did Tenzin's father say to him when he made a mistake? It's okay son, I'm not Aangry." Again he received no hint of a laugh or smile, but he did obtain a sigh._

" _Come on, Korra, I've worked hard on these. At least pretend to find me funny," he begged._

_The young girl turned her head and glanced just above his left shoulder asking, "What's the point?"_

_Now he was the one to sigh._

" _You won, Korra. It may not feel like it, but you saved us. Life's a mess, you know? We face a barrage of problems we didn't ask for and it's easy to just... shut down. When my parents died, I learnt some things; one of them being that it gets easier," he paused and shook his head, "Each problem is like a burn; it hurts at varying degrees and some take longer to heal. But they all eventually do. You may be left with a scar as a constant reminder, but you should never forget that you survived it. You can pick at it and reopen the wound, or you can accept that you can't change it –that it's now a part of you – and let it heal... Laughing helps the healing process; it's like accepting that it happened and saying 'I can still be happy', because if you can't laugh at life, what_ is _the point?"_

_A minute passed in silence, Korra processing his words, Bolin hopeful he had got through to her._

_The girl sighed, "You're right."_

" _And when am I not?", he retaliated, causing a small smile to blossom on her face. It was no more than a small twitch of the corners of her mouth, but they both knew it was something more. Something akin to peace._

* * *

_Korra stumbled off of the boat and down the jetty, all the while receiving mixed stares from the guards posted at the entrance to Air Temple Island. Some looked on at her with amusement; others cast disapproving looks, not content with their Avatar's behaviour. The brunette was pretty sure she saw some men looking scared, undoubtedly fearing the repercussions if Tenzin ever found out about her escapades._

_It had been the first time she had been drinking since her talk with Bolin a month ago. She felt better, his words a catalyst for the healing process but after a meeting-turned-shouting-match with President Raiko, she wanted to go somewhere she could forget herself, if only for the night._

_Now she felt like a leaf caught in a storm, not knowing which way was up and which was down. She felt light and free, but uncoordinated and likely to be thrown off course by the will of the wind at any moment._

_Somehow she had managed to get herself to the courtyard, taking minimal damage, only falling to her knees twice or thrice. She looked up, admiring the way the bright stars contrasted with its black background. She's not sure how long she stayed like that for, only breaking from her revere when she heard footsteps approach._

_She turned herself to find the source of the sound, but her body protested the speed at which she did._

_Time seems to slow down when you fall. It gives you a few seconds to realise you're about to face pain and there's nothing you can do to stop it. Korra shut her eyes and waited for the inevitable. But the pain never came._

_She opened her eyes to find a pair of curious green ones looking back down at her. The owner had caught her mid fall and saved her. She couldn't help but smile._

" _You smell like a brothel," her saviour snarked._

" _Have a lot of experience with those?" she slurred back._

" _Someone has to keep an eye on you when you're working."_

" _I'm glad you care," Korra smiled._

_Asami steadied the shorter girl, and shook her head at the girl's antics, "Come on, let's get you to bed."_

" _I don't come free, you know?" the bender winked. Asami couldn't contain her mirth and started to lead the drunkard towards their room. "Wait," the engineer stopped and raised an eyebrow in silent question, "can you watch the stars with me for a bit?"_

_The raven haired girl studied her face and after a moment, agreed and helped the Avatar lie down. She had never pegged Korra as the type to want to gaze at the sky and after a few minutes of stillness asked her why she wanted to._

_Korra thought for a moment, trying to arrange her thoughts into tangible sentences. "I've always loved watching the stars," she started slowly, "it lets me feel... connected."_

" _Connected?"_

_Korra started to nod then quickly stopped when the world started to spin faster, "We all have different experiences in life, but we all share the same sky and everyone sees the same stars. When I look up, someone else out there is seeing – experiencing – the same thing as me; it makes me feel like I'm less alone."_

_The engineer rolled her head to look at the younger girl and reached out for her hand. Interlocking their fingers, she whispered, "You're not alone, Korra."_

" _I know," she replied in kind and squeezed the hand in hers and they remained quiet, both searching the sky for hidden answers to unknown questions._

_Time was fleeting and in the silence, Korra felt the ground sway below her as she drifted in out of consciousness like the tide. Her sight faltered and her mind grew foggy, but she was sure of one thing; she had fallen in love with the girl next to her. She wasn't sure when it had happened, but it made perfect sense. Korra turned her head and saw Asami bathed in moonlight and couldn't help but smile. In that moment, they were together, and she was so beautiful._

* * *

" _Korra, do you miss pro-bending?"_

_It had been two months since they last found themselves in the bar, but instead of searching for release, they had come to have fun._

_She thought over the question, "Yeah, I miss having an outlet for stress, why?"_

" _Because I found you a new sport that can help with stress," he replied with a lewd grin._

" _Yeah? What is it?", she questioned, taking a sip of her drink._

" _You could do some... Bolin."_

 _She immediately spat out the liquid, most of it ending up on the earth bender. "Ew," he squawked, "I thought_ I  _was supposed to be the one getting_ you _wet, not the other way round!"_

_Korra let loose a deep laugh, causing the other patrons to turn to look at the pair. "Thanks, but I'd rather give up my bending than bed you."_

" _Now that's mean," Bolin fake pouted._

" _What's mean is you putting that imagery into my head," she replied in turn._

" _Oh, so you're imagining it?" he said with a wag of his eyebrows._

" _No, I'm imagining the 99 things I'd rather do instead."_

" _Whatever, it's your loss."_

_Korra rolled her eyes at the boy, but couldn't contain the quirk of her mouth, "Plus, I wouldn't want to run the risk of Eska's wrath. She already tried to kill me once over you."_

" _What can I say, I'm hot stuff."_

" _Do you miss her?" the Avatar questioned with a wink._

_The earth bender paused in thought, "No, I'm not ready to be married," then started smirking, "our relationship Eska-lated too quickly."_

_It took a moment for Korra to realise what he'd said, but groaned when she realised he was making a pun, "You're not funny."_

" _It is not becoming of the Avatar to lie."_

" _Well it's a good thing I'm not," she retorted._

_Bolin squinted his eyes, then grinned widely, "What's Asami's favourite day?" Korra furrowed her brows, not understanding where this conversation was heading. After a pause, he continued, "Satoday."_

_Korra stared at him blankly and then burst out laughing, making a mental note to tell Asami that later. The thought of the engineer caused her to drift off into a day dream, and unbeknownst to her, a loving smile to grace her face._

_Bolin watched his friend, recognising that look from a mile away; she was in love._ But with who,  _he pondered._

" _Korra," he prodded and received only a hum in response, "what are you thinking about?"_

" _Asami," she let out with a wistful sigh._

 _The boy's mouth hung open, not expecting that from her. He replayed all of the interactions of the two girls in his mind and mentally faced palmed himself for not realising it sooner._ The jealousy, the subtle brushes, the staring; it all makes sense.

_Korra snapped out of her trance when she noticed Bolin gawping like a fish and questioned him on his looks._

" _You're in love with Asami!" he screamed at her, once again drawing the curious glances of their fellow patrons. Korra quickly hushed him and denied it. "Don't lie to me, Avatar. I know you."_

_The girl sighed, knowing he would never drop it and decided she should at least tell someone about her unrequited love, "Fine, I'm in love with her, just don't tell anyone. Please."_

_He cocked a brow and asked if she had told anyone else._

" _No, I haven't. I only realised a few weeks back. No one can know though, I don't want Asami finding out," she said dejectedly._

" _Why not? Do you not want to be with her?", he questioned._

" _It's not that. It's just... she doesn't feel the same way," the brunette exhaled._

_Bolin shook his head and questioned why she Korra couldn't just ask the engineer if they could be together._

" _If she doesn't feel the same, it could ruin our friendship. I'm not ready for that. Please don't tell her, promise me," she begged._

_The boy looked at his friend and could see the desperateness within her eyes and nodded his head in the affirmative, promising her he would not tell. "Okay, I promise. But we need a plan to find out how she feels without telling her."_

" _What? How would I do that?" Korra asked incredulously._

_Bolin rolled his eyes, "flirt with her, duh. Then see how she reacts. Luckily for you, I'm a master in the art of flirting."_

_The Avatar raised her eyebrows, not quite believing his proclamation._

" _Come closer and I shall teach you my ways," he pulled her stool closer, "now I'm going to teach you how to make a girl swoon using pick up lines. Now repeat after me: 'are you an airbender? Because you take my breath away."_

* * *

It had been three months since she had tried using Bolin's line and it had gotten her no closer to finding out if Asami felt the same way. She had simply replied that Korra knew she was not a bender and returned to tinkering the latest Satomobile.

Since then, she had decided not to use any more of Bolin's flirting tips and has stuck with just teasing Asami. If nothing else, at least she would get to see her cheeks colour and shy away in the eye of a compliment. That was until they switched bodies.

Fingers snapped in front of her face, drawing her from her thoughts. She looked up into blue eyes coloured with concern. "Are you alright?" Korra nodded and asked why she was asking. "You've been in your own head for some time."

"I was just thinking,"

"About?"

"How you'd look in a swim suit," she added a wink for good measure.

Asami stuttered and blushed before accusing Korra of being incorrigible. She turned towards the door and let the Avatar know she was getting some food, before walking out.

"Don't let me get fat!" Korra yelled.

* * *

**Asami:**

The engineer roamed the halls, towards the kitchen, lost in thought about Korra. Ever since she had found the girl stumbling around the courtyard many moons ago, she noticed a change of behaviour in the younger girl. She had been teasing and complimenting her mercilessly, and while she found it amusing, she couldn't work out the switch in conduct.

Another thing she had noticed a change in was Bolin. Whenever they are alone, he always finds away to lead the conversation towards the Avatar. Before she could dwell on it further, she found herself in the kitchen and started to rummage through the pantry.

Pulling out a sweet bun, she hoped Meelo didn't walk in. Whenever he caught someone snacking on his favoured food, he would threaten air blast them and she wasn't really in the mood to argue. Quickly shoving it whole in her mouth – she had to act like Korra, she reasoned – and left the kitchen.

Walking down the halls, she heard Bolin call out to her and sighed. It's not that she didn't want to speak to the boy; she just didn't want to give anything away and let down Korra.

"Korra, wait up!" she pivoted on the spot, just in time to see the bender skid to a halt in front of her, "what happened this morning? Or last night, should I say," he finished with a wiggle of his brow.

_Why is he doing that, he looks ridiculous._

"Nothing. Why do you ask?" she asked as casually as she could.

"Asami was wearing your clothes!"

"Oh... I let her borrow it because I spilt tea on her stuff last night."  _Yes, that is good. Something clumsy Korra would do._

Bolin looked crestfallen for a moment, but perked straight back up, "Oh well, all good things come to those who wait," he said with an exaggerated wink, "anyway, I have to go, I need to find Pabu." With that, the earth bender saluted and turned back towards whence he came.

 _Well he's getting weirder,_ she thought.

Asami carried on her journey back to where she left Korra, hoping the girl hadn't gone back to staring in the mirror.

"Korra!", she heard a girl's voice call, just as she was turning the final corner. She looked back to see Jinora heading towards her with a look of bewilderment on her face, "Korra?"

"Yes, Jinora?"

"You're not Korra."  _Oh shit._

"Erm, what?"  _Yes, play it cool, Asami. You got this. She knows nothing._

"I can sense Korra's spirit and I'm not sensing it right now," the girl claimed.

_Oh shit, the jig is up._

Jinora grabbed hold of Asami's arm and dragged her into where she could feel Korra's spirit, slamming open the door.

* * *

**Korra:**

The Avatar had gone back to staring at the reflection in the mirror as soon as Asami had left the room, wanting to make sure she had every part of her face memorised.  _It's not creepy; I just want to make sure I can give an accurate description of her if she ever goes missing,_ she reasoned.

Suddenly the door burst open with such ferocity, Korra was surprised it didn't rip off the hinges. She looked over to whoever was intruding on her admiring time. When she saw Jinora gripping Asami's arm, she knew they were in trouble.

"We need to talk," the young air bender stated, leaving no room for argument.

Korra flicked her eyes to the taller of the two, "Narc."

"I am not!" the engineer protested indignantly, "and I told you to stop staring!"

 


End file.
